The A to Z of the New Testament: Things Experts Know That Everyone Else Should Too

by James F. McGrath

So you think you know the New Testament? Did you know that Jesus made puns? Did you know that Paul never calls himself or the churches he writes to “Christian?” Did you know that we  don’t  know who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews, or if it’s even really a letter? James F. McGrath sheds light on these and many other surprising realities of  Scripture in The A to Z of the New Testament . Cutting through common myths and misunderstandings of problematic bible passages, James F. McGrath opens up expert knowledge to laypeople in his friendly introduction to New Testament studies. Each chapter in this fresh, accessible volume begins with a provocative anecdote or fact and then pulls back the curtain to inform curious readers about how scholars approach the issue. Along the way, McGrath explains unfamiliar terminology and methodology to nonspecialists with humor and clarity. You’ve graduated from Sunday School. Ask the hard questions. Take Scripture on its own terms. Invigorate your Bible study with  The A to Z of the New Testament  as your guide.

Genres: Christianity, Biblical Studies

312 pages, Paperback

Published October 17, 2023

Reviews

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the challenges facing the Mainline churches, besides decline, is biblical illiteracy. Adult Sunday School and serious Bible study have experienced an even greater decline than worship attendance. So, how do you change this reality? What kind of resources might speak to this challenging situation? There have been some interesting attempts to address the problem. Marcus Borg, for example, wrote several books that provided inviting, but too often the resources have been less than helpful. Many of these problems are rooted not in the use of the historical-critical method by scholars but in how the results are shared. That is, we are often left with a deconstructed Bible that has nothing much to offer us as followers of Jesus. Besides many of these resources are rather dry.

Now comes James McGrath's rather ingenious resource titled "The A to Z of the New Testament." In this book, McGrath uses the alphabet to organize his exploration of the New Testament. His goal here is to share, in an accessible manner, what experts in the New Testament believe should be known by everyone. That is, he brings to a larger audience materials that he would share in an introductory Bible course at his university (Butler University, if you want to know). Thus, he shares the results of the historical-critical study of the New Testament, but he does so in a way that brings to life the New Testament. He does so with humor. Those who have read McGrath's blog posts as well as his books will know that he brings humor and creativity to his work.

Here is how McGrath describes his methodology in this book. "Each chapter picks one topic that can be understood easily and then brings in the necessary information to explore it." Having taught British high schoolers the New Testament after finishing his Ph.D., he writes that he is "convinced that if British teenagers can be expected to understand these things, then the vast majority of people in churches also can -- and should be given the opportunity to do so" (p. 2). With that, I am in complete agreement.

The plan undertaken here isn't organized like a dictionary or an encyclopedia. So don't let the A to Z lead you to that conclusion. Again, the method here is to introduce themes, often a problem that has emerged when it comes to understanding the New Testament, and then in the course of discussion introduce terms and tools that will help resolve the problem. In other words, the focus is on the practical. His hope (and mine) is that this book will not only inform but invite the reader to dig deeper into the New Testament.

Now, I can't go through each letter of the alphabet, so let me choose one of the letters (chapters) to illustrate what McGrath is up to. The letter I'll choose here is the letter G, which stands for "Greasy Jesus?" The focus here is on Jesus' title/vocation of Christ/Messiah. Why greasy? It's because the word Christos means anointed (with oil), with the Hebrew being Mashiach. Christ and Messiah are essentially transliterations of the Greek and Hebrew. But the chapter isn't just about these two words. The focus here is on transliterations, and so besides Christ, he discusses angels, Abba, and Maranatha, as well as place names such as Gethsemane and Golgotha, as well as several other transliterated words. In addition to the discussion of transliterated words, including Boanerges (Sons of Thunder), he offers the reader a brief bibliography "For Further Reading."

The final chapter lifts up several personal names that begin with the letter Z, which is not the final letter in the Greek alphabet (that would be omega). But here in this chapter, he reiterates what he revealed in the opening chapter, he isn't able to cover everything in the New Testament in a book this size. This is an introduction that covers "the ABCs but in the process meanders casually through 'the weeds,' as some might put it, and eventually takes you from A through Z, covering a lot of genuinely challenging topics on the journey, hopefully without making anyone feel overwhelmed in the process" (p. 283).

Having taught bible courses at a college level as well as bible studies in churches, I can't vouch for the level of interest of college students in the study of the Bible as they may choose such a class for a variety of reasons besides diving deep into the Bible, but my experience with church folks is that they do want to know more about the Bible. They just need to be given the chance to dive deeper. It is always best, in my opinion, if the Pastor takes the lead (after all they're supposed to be the ones with advanced study of the Bible). There are a variety of ways of doing this. McGrath's book might not be the typical approach, but I do believe people will enjoy reading it and exploring the topics lifted up here, which run the gamut from Christology to the authorship of particular books, including the ones that might not be written by the person the book or letter (or whatever it is) that has the attribution.

So, just pick this up, have some fun with it, and then dive deep into the Bible. I think readers will end up with a greater appreciation for the Bible and that's a good thing.

[Alexandru Croitor · Rating 5 out of 5]

informative and insightful. also the "further reading" sections have solid recommendations. will definitely get back to it.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The A to Z of the New Testament” by James McGrath is a book that aims to provide an accessible introduction to New Testament studies. The book is organized alphabetically, with each chapter focusing on a single topic that can be easily understood. McGrath uses humor and clarity to explain unfamiliar terminology and methodology to nonspecialists. He also shares the results of the historical-critical study of the New Testament in a way that brings the New Testament to life.

The book is perfect for those who want to go beyond simple answers and Bible trivia and invigorate their Bible study.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Company for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book that puts the New Testament into context for modern readers. ''The Bible contains diverse works from different authors who did not always see eye to eye. There is often no one thing that the Bible says on a particular topic, but many things. Even if all the biblical authors appear to agree on a matter, there are still questions about the meaning of words, ancient cultural contexts and other things that must be considered before you assume that what you understand these ancient authors to have meant is in fact precisely what they meant. You are a reader of an English translation of ancient texts from a very different historical and cultural context than your own.'' Great summary of the whole book

[Shelley C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have known many of these things for many years without reading them out of a book or at least a single resource so I am glad that he put these all in one place. I have my disagreements or places that I want to study to learn more but this is a great start. I would consider this an excellent resource. If I was putting together a list of books that people could read in order to increase their knowledge of the Bible. I would put this at the top of the list although it only deals with New Testament. New Testament is what the bulk of people are familiar with if they’re familiar with any part of the Bible at all. But I would encourage other reading options. I would just start with this one. Which gives me an idea I might just put that list together :-)

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who want a concise summary of key topics related to New Testament interpretation, this volume by Dr. McGrath is a great place to start. While none of the discussions go too deep into details, the breadth is there to whet the appetite for further study. For those who are already familiar with many of the topics presented, it is still a good place to go to be reminded of key interpretive issues when reading the Bible.

[Jeannine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, “The A to Z of the New Testament. Things Experts Know That Everyone Else Should Too” by James F. McGrath. The book is a series of 26 mid-length articles on aspects of Biblical culture or background that help the average reader to get more out of their study of the Bible. This is not focused on an academic audience but rather the general reader.

#TheAtoZoftheNewTestament #NetGalley

[Levi Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid introduction and content, but unfortunately brought down by cheesy structure and far too many groan-inducing jokes.

[Van Robarts · Rating 3 out of 5]

McGrath sets out to do two things. First to introduce a whole range of issues to someone beginning to study the New Testament in an academic way. Next, he tries to do this in an engaging way. I think he does both well.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book examine how scholars understand th3 New Testament. So much nuance and varying interpretations. Changes ones view of the Bible.

[Lorenzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bellissima introduzione al Nuovo Testamento con riferimenti bibliografici ben fatti per chi voglia approfondire